What's your opinion on this?

jim-jim

My DS is 5 with special needs he has ASD and Global development delay. This makes him more like a child half his age.
He is in mainstream school, but with no grip funding in place yet :mad:

He has problems with speech and also toileting still in nappies/ pullups, as in, he is not aware that he has pooed. Because there is no funding yet he doesn't get one to one care.
So he is in a class of 30 children. He often comes home dirty (poo in nappy).

I'm not happy about this and I've mentioned it several times to teacher. Not only is it a hygiene issue but there is also mixing with other children, they are going to treat him differently if he smells of poo. The teacher has said that sometimes there is no one that can physically change him, as she is in the class on her own with no TA available in Y1. I have offered to come into school and change him myself.


To me this is not acceptable, am I right?
How long is it acceptable for him to be in dirty nappy?

Thanks for listening x

ahja

This happened to my grandson, he sometimes used to come home sore because he had sat in a soiled nappy pull up pants. There was funding for an assistant, through CAHMS, but it was poor in terms of sometimes she wasn't there and the school took the view that they could be liable for 'touching' (so it was ok for him to have a red raw behind!)

The only real way this issue was sorted (he is now 10 and still in pull ups) was to get out of mainstream school. His confidence has bloomed, his outlook is a complete change from misery to positive.

It's tough, but the only way this came about was to fight and fight again the system where it comes down to funding. My son and wife had to jump through many hoops, lots of meetings (sometimes people didn't even turn up) and frustration by the bucket load, but when they are your children you will persevere - good luck!

jim-jim

Thanks the reply ahja, the option of a special school has come up before. The powers that be, have said that the mainstream is fine for him with his funding in place. It is just taking toooo long.

The special school is for more disabled children.

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ahja

Fight them! I would say that my grandson is at the lower end of disability - education wise he is about top of his class. My son lives on a border of two counties, so house in one, school in another and they tried passing the buck between them, so another fight to eventually win!

See if you can go to a specialist via your GP or ask to be referred to someone who deals with either physical or mental development issues for your son, this seems to be the way that councils (who do the funding) will actually listen. If you've already done this, do it again - sometimes you have to make a nuisance of yourself to get anywhere!

Its a sad fact of life that those who shout the loudest and make themselves an absolute pain win out in the end.

Tigsteroonie

Does your child have an EHCP? Are you requesting one?

Is your child under a Paediatrician who can advise the school? How about a Continence Service nurse, to provide you with help on toilet training?

It strikes me as you're in a catch-22 situation; with no additional funding/resources allocated to your son, how on earth is school meant to assist with his increased toilet needs? You need to be driving for a higher level of support.

Jackieboy

Have you considered home schooling, at least while this issue is being sorted out?

rach_k

How long is it likely to be before one-to-one support is available? If it's not going to be too long and you're able to go into school, I would insist on doing so straight away. Does he poo around the same time each day (i.e. could you predict it and go in at the same time each day?)? If not, are you close enough to school that you could get there quickly? In Year 1, it would be acceptable for the teacher to send a child with a note to the school office to call you to come in, and with it being a dirty nappy I wouldn't have thought it would remain undetected for very long! I don't know about official guidelines but I wouldn't want any child in a dirty nappy for more than 15 minutes (max).

Alternatively (and maybe preferably), what about other staff at the school? My kids' school has two classes per year so it's not small, but they have loads of staff who don't teach all/any of the time - the headteacher, deputy head, inclusion teacher, Spanish teacher, art teacher, play worker, family support worker, 3 office staff. They also have one teaching assistant per class right up to Year 6. Even if your son's school is quite small, surely there must be somebody who is not teaching at any given point or TAs in other classes (nursery, perhaps) who could pop out to change him?

peachyprice

Jackieboy wrote: »

Have you considered home schooling, at least while this issue is being sorted out?

The problem with that is once you take child out of school the funding application will stop because the child is no longer a pupil.

OP, can you go and change him when necessary? Or go in at set times to take him to the toilet and wait until he has produced? That would seem to be the easiest solution for now, perhaps the inconvenience of you in an out of the school all day will concentrate their efforts to help push for the funding

peachyprice

rach_k wrote: »

Alternatively (and maybe preferably), what about other staff at the school? My kids' school has two classes per year so it's not small, but they have loads of staff who don't teach all/any of the time - the headteacher, deputy head, inclusion teacher, Spanish teacher, art teacher, play worker, family support worker, 3 office staff. They also have one teaching assistant per class right up to Year 6. Even if your son's school is quite small, surely there must be somebody who is not teaching at any given point or TAs in other classes (nursery, perhaps) who could pop out to change him?

I'm not sure that it's fair to ask teachers other than those who have been employed specifically to deal with OP's sons toileting issues to change him and would imagine why the teacher has said there is nobody available.

fairy_lights

rach_k wrote: »

Even if your son's school is quite small, surely there must be somebody who is not teaching at any given point or TAs in other classes (nursery, perhaps) who could pop out to change him?

That's not their job though, and it wouldn't be fair to ask them to do it.

jim-jim

Wow thanks for all the responses,
not sure about the EHCP, the grip funding application was placed before the six weeks holidays, and they have asked for a update before christmas. I have also sent in a parental statement, indicating my concerns, ie toileting.
His Paediatrician was disgusted there was still no 1-1 care on his last visit to her in November.

The ED physiologist saw him in Dec 2015 to get the ball rolling, but she had a different diagnosis for him. In her opinion he was just a bit slow.
The hospital don't agree with her.

He was only transferred into reception after the Easter holidays from nursery, and then into year 1 in September.

The schools hands are tied with anymore help for him until they get the funding. (so they say) he has 3 x half an hour 1-1 with a TA a day. She changes him before or after dinner depending on time, whether he is wet or dirty.

I have asked and asked for someone to changed him as soon as they notice, but it's like talking to a brick wall. I do live near school so could be there in 10 mins to change him. It's only Thursday today and he's come home twice already this week dirty.

There are 3 classes per year, but not enough TA's to go around.

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